NEWLY appointed national minister of Transport Sbu Ndebele was given a luxury vehicle as a thank-you by contractors who benefited from programmes he established while he was MEC for Transport in KwaZulu-Natal.
Ndebele was congratulated with his wife, Zama, in a glittering ceremony held at Pietermaritzburg’s Woodburn Stadium on Saturday.
Beneficiaries of programmes started by the new Transport minister, such as Vukuzakhe, Vukuzenzele and Zibambele, where previously disadvantaged individuals received training in construction to be able to build roads and bridges in the province, said the programme has alleviated poverty in their communities and made others millionaires.
Expressing their gratitude, they gave Ndebele a Mercedez Benz S-Class valued at just over R1,1 million. He also received a plasma TV and petrol vouchers.
He received a suit cover from representatives of the KZN interfaith programme, which he launched to encourage religious leaders to become involved in social issues.
Taxi associations also expressed their appreciation for the minister’s work. The chairman of the Msunduzi Region One Taxi Council, Boy Zondi, gave Ndebele two cows for the work he did to improve the taxi industry in the province.
“We want to thank [President Jacob] Zuma for appointing you Transport minister and we know that the taxi industry in the country will improve now that you will be heading the ministry,” said Zondi.
Ndebele, the former KZN premier, said he welcomes the show of confidence from the ANC’s alliance partners, Cosatu and the SA Communist Party, and congratulatory messages from the IFP and taxi associations around the country.
He said Zuma chose him for the portfolio following the successes of the programmes he implemented as Transport MEC. “[Zuma] told me that he wants me to take the Vukuzakhe programmes and implement them around the country,”he said.
After less than a week since assuming his new job, Ndebele said that educating people about the Road Accident Fund needs to resume soon as billions of rands remain unclaimed by victims of road accidents.
“We will strive for the transport system in the country to work. We will not disappoint you. We are not magicians, but we have commitment,” said Ndebele.
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